Le Matin, Fre - Two women fell when a cornice collapsed under them as they trekked on skins up the north face of La Para, also known as La Tornette, near Chateau d'Oex in the Diableret region. One woman died and the other was taken by helicopter to the hospital (CHUV) in Lausanne in serious condition. No details have been given about the group of six; the other four were safe.
Several other Alpine accidents occurred over the weekend, including the death of a skier in Zermatt and two near Valloire, France, reports the Houston Chronicle.
The accident occurred in the same area where Franziska Rochat-Moser (Fre), the noted marathon runner and wife of celebrity chef Philippe Moser, died in March 2002. She was also touring on skins and was carried down several hundred metres by an avalanche that occurred when a cornice gave way under her.
The head of the Valais institute for snow and avalanche studies, François Dufour, told Le Matin that a cornice and an avalanche should not be confused, although the first can provoke the second. A cornice is a ledge of snow with nothing under it, built by wind, which often appears to be solid. The key thing to remember, Dufour told reporter Fabian Muhieddine, is to avoid going off-piste just after a fresh snow, no matter how great the temptation to try the powder. Wait, he suggests: the powder will still be there and the snow will have stabilized.
See also: WRG-FM